Editor's Note: This is an article we first published in December of 2007
By Bob Barney
The Plain Truth wants people to be informed and educated. Don't just listen to the news, or read a paper or watch a few TV news shows. The Bible calls Satan the "prince of the air" and this can surely be seen with today's news being sent through "the air" to your TV sets and radios. Most of what you hear and see is biased. There is not just a Liberal left, but there is also a Biased Right! Truth of lies somewhere else, and since there is no truth in the Devil, according to Jesus, we should try to research everything as much as possible. The Plain Truth can be found, but it is not often easy.
There's a lot of discussion about what Mormons (and Mitt Romney) believe lately. So, in order to make this easy, I will list out what Mormonism actually teaches quickly and easily. These are not sensationalized, and inaccurate statements. I am using the information below (in blue) as direct quotes from: http://www.carm.org/lds/mormon_beliefs.htm. MY COMMENTS are in RED
Following documentation from Mormon authors. Finally, please understand that the Mormon Church uses Christian terms but has radically changed the meanings of those terms. So, when it says that Mormons belief in the father the son and the Holy Spirit, they really saying they believe in a God from another planet, with a goddess wife, who literally as the father of Jesus, and that there is a spirit being, of the Holy Ghost, and is another God.
These are Mormon beliefs
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Mormons, teaches that God the father used to be a man on another planet, that he became a God by following the laws and ordinances of that God on that planet and came to this world with his wife (she became a goddess), and that they produce a spirit offspring in heaven. These spirit offspring, which includes Jesus, the devil, and you and me, are all brothers and sisters born in the preexistence. The preexistence spirits come down and inhabit babies at the time of birth and their memories of the preexistence are lost at the time. Furthermore, faithful Mormons, who pay a full 10% tithe of their income to the Mormon church and go through a Mormon temples, have the potential of becoming gods of their own planets and are then able to start the procedure over again.
Is it Christian?
Mormon Beliefs documented
Please note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon writers.
Book of Mormon
The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, 4:461.)
Devil, the
The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, page 192.)
Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.)
God
God used to be a man on another planet, Mormon Doctrine, p. 321. Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, Vol 5, pp. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol 2, p. 345, Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333.)
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans…" (D&C 130:22).
God, becoming a god
After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 345-347, 354.) (Editor Note: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE BIBLE DOES ACTUALLY IMPLY THIS! Paul wrote that Christ was "…the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature [Greek: Prototokos; first begotten or firstborn]: For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before [both in time, and supremacy] all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the Beginning, the First born from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:15-17).
Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him' " (Hebrews 1:6).And what shall we finally become when we are BORN OF GOD? John said, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is!" (1 John 3:2).The name "God" comes from a Family term, Elohim, and means more than One!And when we are finally born of God, that is what we shall BECOME—members of the Divine FAMILY of God; lesser than Christ, and subject to Him; yet, members of His own Family
"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (DC 132:20).
God, many gods
There are many gods, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.) (AGAIN THE BIBLE DOES SAY THIS!
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2Cr 4:4 |
Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. |
"And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light: and there was light (Book of Abraham 4:3) (IF YOU READ YOUR BIBLE, IT IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD IS A PLURAL WORD COMMING FROM the Nebe=rew Elohim (more than one God. It is referring to The Father and Jesus) see this link: http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H0430&Version=kjv
God, mother goddess
There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443.)
God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine p. 516.)
God, Trinity (A NOTE: The word TRINITY is never in the Bible, although most Christians do accept the idea) Want to read a thoughtful opposing argument against the trinity? Click this link: http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/pubs/mystery.htm
The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35.)
Heaven
There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, Mormon Doctrine, p. 348.
Holy Ghost, the
The Holy Ghost is a male personage, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, (Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, page 118; Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, page 179.)
Jesus
. "Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a body of flesh and bones." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8: p. 115).
"Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh …" (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, pg. 150).
Joseph Smith
If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670.)
Pre-existence
We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth, (Journal of Discourse, Vol. 4, p. 218.)
The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, page 129.)
The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, page 192.)
The bottom line is that whoever runs for President should never allow his personal religion to interfere with his duties. Our forefathers were mainly Christians, yet they kept CHRIST OUT of our Constitution. Some, like Thomas Jefferson did not accept the fact that Christ was God at all. He was a DIEST, believing in only one FATHER GOD, not unlike the Mormons. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, Mitt Romney and most Mormons today really don't want you to know what they believe, and that should be cause for concern. This implies that they think they need to hide from you, what they truly believe. Does that sound right? If you hold true to your convictions, as Thomas Jefferson did, then history will judge you a basically an honest intellectual. Mitt Romney does not seem to be doing just that.
It is important to have your faith. It is more important to keep your faith and everyone elses faith out of government. Separation of Church and State (not really in the Constitution) doesn't mean that one has to give up their religion to hold office, it means that that person must separate their own religious convictions from their public duty. Why? Our forefathers never want a state sanctioned religion, and neither should you, or you may find out that the state chooses a religion other than yours!
Americans need to wake up the fact that Beck is simply another opinion pushing charlatan who is a product of mormon cult theology. He does not possess a single ounce of journalistic integrity, he has no qualifications and he is definitely not a true conservative. But then, what can anyone expect from someone who can’t find anything filthier than their own personal reflection. Since people like Beck cannot survive on the basis of any personal merits, they survive by puting others down with lies and half truths in order to feel good about themselves. The truth about Beck is that he a dry mormon alcoholic
who never got the counseling required by alcoholics. He flippantly throws around Christian terms like “God”, “Jesus”, “Holy Spirit” as well as voices of other so called “Spirit Powers” on his radio talk
show. Beck is a mormon in active standing with the mormon church and is not a Christian. Mormonism teaches many gods, that the god of the earth was once a man who attained godhood status, there is no
trinity, the cross of Christ means nothing and that Jesus Christ and Satan were brothers. Because Beck does not possess a single ounce of journalistic integrity, he is the perfect abortion poster child for
Fox Network. The people who love what Beck says are no different than the impressionable sheep who loved every speech made by Adolph Hitler in his early years when he brought Germany into an era of economic prosperity. These same sheep (like the ones who listen to and believe the lies of Beck) also blindly followed Hitler into one of the darkest chapters of world history. Beck and the Fox Network both cater to the same lowest common denominator of demagogery. The man would not know the first thing about God as he is a mormon. Someone should ask him which of the many mormon gods he kept talking about during his argument with himself on Saturday. Unfortunately, these teabaggers out there do not realize that Beck is talking about a different god than that of Christianity, Judaism or Islam and that he has been a product of mormonism cultism from the day he started doing a radio talk show as an opinion pusher.
Well, all religions are simply humankind’s endeavor to explain why they’re here. One thing impressive about the Mormon faith is the desired effect of moral virtue, achieved through the beliefs. On the other hand, Mormons have an extraordinarily high rate of depression. I’m Mormon, but have decided to forego going to the Temple until after death – to let someone else do it for me, by proxy, because mainily the temple rites seem to recreate the original murder which took place, and which is described in detail as an objectified account in the very opening chapter of the Book of Mormon. Originally, in fact, a simulation of cutting one’s abdomen, cutting one’s bowels was part of the temple rites. All religions on the finite earth find their origin with a finite human being. What impresses me about the Holy Bible is its beginnings, where the Jewish people revel in racism and pillage and plunder and utter genocide, because “God told them to;” God being defined as two or more human beings in agreement over a matter. At any rate, whatever beliefs it takes for people to be kind to each other, refrain from taking offense, to perform good works, to love each other – those are the beliefs to adhere to.
Yeah I understand well what you are saying. It’s about the same thing the Israelites were telling Moses about the golden calf. For some unkown reason, they all died.
Moral virtue? Try telling that to a family that lives here in Heber, AZ that lies to the police and anyone else who will listen to them as long as it gets them what they want. They’ve got about 5 kids who are also liars. Maybe their culty little church will disfellowship them or whatever that church does to their bad eggs. Of course, the church is built on lies, so they’re probably going to have a memorial statue erected in their honor.
The sheriff’s office is also overrun by these cult members, who will only persecute anyone that isn’t a member of their church. Now tell me again, how virtuous and “good” Mormons are.
And by the way, cult religions grind into their member’s heads that their religion is “the only way”. Most authentic Christian religions don’t basically declare that everyone who doesn’t follow their ways is doomed.
It’s also not common decency to baptise people without their permission. You don’t baptise Jewish people or people after they’ve died. That’s ignorant and offensive. Also an example of very cult-like behavior.
Cults? What’s a cult? The largest I know is the Roman Catholic Church!